Winding Down...

Blogless. Is that a word? Well, regardless of its validity it is very descriptive of my Christmas! I will certainly find time this week to catch up with a few pictures from our week and a day in Utah with my family. But not today. It is already time to get ready for our New Year's Eve with nieces and nephews from the Gillas family. If I am not posting anything of substance then why do I even bother to show my virtual face? Good question--and one that will likely remain unanswered.

Pains of Procrastination

Seriously. When did shopping all day become a painful process? What happened to the teenager who longed to spend an entire day devoted to shopping? I procrastinated my Christmas (& Alex's birthday) shopping, so today I left the house at 10:00 am and didn't return home until 10:45 pm. I hurt everywhere! When did I get so old and wimpy?!

Ugh.

At least it's done.

Success at the thrift store

Actually, thrift stores. I had an unusually lucky week for thrift store purchases. I cannot reveal all of my exciting finds however, because some will take the form of a Christmas present in not too many days.
Still, some finds are public knowledge:

This is beyond awesome. A Fisher Price Sesame Street Clubhouse! I swear I had this when I was little. I remember the moving sidewalk that dumps you down the twisty slide and the trap door that spills you out onto a chute on the other side.

Count (with monocle) and Big Bird (looking a bit skinny) were included...along with some barrels and a jump rope!

Uh oh Bird...watch out for the trap door at the top of the stairs!

I saw this a split second too late to transform it into a Christmas present. We've been trying to find a lunch box for Alex for ages...but he saw it just after I did. Still...a Voltron lunchbox is too cool to pass up. And everything was 50% off. Wahoo! So..I guess Alex got an early Birthday present.

Speaking of birthday presents and good finds...

Alex's dad found this old 4-string Slingerland banjo at a pawn shop. It's just what Alex has been looking for! They gave it to him last weekend for an early Birthday/Christmas present. (Al's birthday is Wed. Dec. 19th...he'll be 29!)

For a good 48 hours he only put the banjo down to sleep, eat, and use the restroom. I think the gift was a hit! I hope I can find a gift even half as cool...

The Official Start of my Holiday!

And suddenly...Jen is a pleasent person to be around! As of 2:35 am Monday morning, final grades are in the system and I am free from my job until Januray 7, 2008! Wahoo!

Alex is wonderful to put up with the mood-swings of a girl who is overworked in the higher-education field. I work-work-work and stress-stress-stress during the term...but as soon as the term is over..........ahhhhhhh..............life is wonderfully pleasent again. I'm not sure that this is a healthy way to live, but I do love the idea of having a month off of work during the Holiday Season.

Boy, I'm sleepy. I have designated Monday Official Sleeping In Day!

and now the grading begins...

Hooray! Finals are done! I gave a Beginning Math Final exam today from 10-noon, and I took a Chemistry Final exam today from 1-3. It feels so good to be done! But-of-course I am not done. This is a new feeling for me: the elation that follows successfully completing college courses immediately followed by the realization that I now have a lot of work left to do in grading the exams. (Last spring term I had to grade exams, but I hadn't been taking exams as well).

It was really tough to finish that Chemistry final and then have to go back for 2 more hours of work that day. Yuk!

Oh...p.s....recording is going very well. We are having a blast--and we have another session tonight!